Decisions need to be made on certain forwards in the Chicago Blackhawks current bottom-six with just five games remaining this season. There has been plenty of lineup shuffling made this season between the two head coaches that have led this team, but the top-six has been locked in for the last month.
The Blackhawks roster has only gotten younger since the March 7 trade deadline and that makes the outlook of next season’s group on opening night much different. The two main veteran additions that general manager Kyle Davidson made to the team last summer will be around next year, but not many other older players should have a guaranteed roster spot compared to previous years.
The signings of Teuvo Teravinen and Tyler Bertuzzi have panned out well so far and they will be in the top-six on opening night next year based on how things stand right now. Those two and Nick Foligno will be the true veterans ready to roll next season, with Jason Dickinson being a likely candidate to stick around in Chicago as well.
One of the many young forwards on the current roster made a mistake on Friday’s one game road trip in the nation’s capital, but it hasn’t removed him from the lineup for the rest of the campaign.
Lukas Reichel’s mistake has not taken him out of the lineup
Lukas Reichel missed a mandatory team meeting on Friday morning prior to that evening’s road matchup against the Capitals. Because of this, interim head coach Anders Sorensen chose to scratch Reichel from the lineup in favor of Philipp Kurashev. It was later revealed that Reichel did not intend to miss the meeting, as he forgot his phone charger and it died while he was sleeping. His alarm never went off, which led to him not playing against Washington.
Lukas Reichel missed the Blackhawks meeting yesterday morning because he forgot his charger and his phone died while he was sleeping, so his alarm never went off.
It’ll be a funny story in a year, but “it definitely sucks missing a game.” He assured Anders it won’t happen again.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 5, 2025
Kurashev scored in place of Reichel in the 5-3 loss and many wondered if the lineup would change for the rest of the season because of that performance. Instead, Reichel drew back into the fray on Sunday at home against Pittsburgh and Pat Maroon was the odd man out of the forward group. Luckily for Reichel, the coaching staff has liked his style of play as of late enough to keep him involved with a chance to prove himself to management in the final five games.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a decision to make on Lukas Reichel
Reichel’s contract is not up at the end of the season, but that doesn’t mean his spot on the team is safe moving forward. The 22-year-old is owed $1.2 million next year and the Blackhawks front office wouldn’t have an issue either eating his salary or trying to trade him based on their current cap situation.
This season marks the most games that Reichel has played at the NHL level in his career. In 67 games, he has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 total points primarily working on the fourth line. Maroon and former Blackhawk Craig Smith were Reichel’s linemates for most of the season, with scoring chances not be presented much for the trio.
If the organization sees a future for Reichel in Chicago, they will need to put him in a better position to tap into his potential next year. However, this year could have been the last straw for management, and a change of scenery could be best for him down the road.
Chicago Blackhawks should do everything they can to hire top collegiate head coach in the country
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1 Comment
There are many Players under performing this year, not just Reichel. Davidson’s main concern this off season should be finding a real NHL coach that can take the kids to the next level. Reichel is still young, costs little and what was he going to prove on the 4th line? Get a real coach to decide.